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Russian Circles, Helms Alee and Ken Mode

In 2012, the Juno Award's first-ever Heavy Metal/Hard Music Album of the Year went to KEN Mode's Entrench. As something like the Canadian version of the Grammys, the Junos have already flexed infinitely more metal cred than the Academy. The Grammys famously gave Jethro Tull the first Best Metal Award over Metallica, but the last three winners have been Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, and Judas Priest, all great bands whose best work is more than 20 years old. With KEN Mode, we have a very good metallic hardcore band in the AmRep noise-rock mold who happen to be putting out very good albums right now. They're opening a bill for Russian Circles and Helms Alee, bands that likely need little introduction, each with worthwhile new albums—Memorial and Sleepwalking Sailors, respectively. MATTHEW W. SULLIVAN